If you’ve ever stared at a crypto chart, watched the price skyrocket right after you hesitated to pull the trigger, and thought, “I should’ve bought that!” — trust me, you’re not alone. I’ve been there, and it stings. But missing those trades taught me something far more valuable than any quick profit could: patience is everything in trading.
This is my story of how missing five solid trades completely changed the way I approach the market — and why patience might be the single most underrated skill a crypto trader can develop.
The Week That Tested Me
It started on a Monday morning. Bitcoin had just broken above a key resistance level, and everyone on Twitter was screaming “breakout season.” My instincts told me to wait for a retest before jumping in, but the FOMO (fear of missing out) crept in hard. I hovered over the “buy” button… and hesitated.
Within an hour, BTC pumped another 3%. Then 5%. I closed the chart, frustrated.
“Okay,” I told myself, “don’t chase it. There will be another setup.”
That was trade #1 missed.
But the market wasn’t done testing me. Over the next few days, I spotted five clear opportunities — setups that matched my strategy perfectly. Each time, I hesitated. I second-guessed myself, worried that maybe it was too risky or the move had already played out.
By Friday, I had missed out on thousands of dollars in potential gains. And the worst part? My friends in a trading group chat were posting screenshots of their profits. I felt like the most unlucky trader alive.
But here’s the thing: those missed trades turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
What I Realized About Patience (and My Lack of It)
In crypto, the hardest thing isn’t learning indicators or technical patterns. It’s managing your emotions when real money is on the line. I wasn’t lacking knowledge; I was lacking emotional discipline.
After those missed trades, I did some serious self-reflection. Why did I freeze? Why did I hesitate?
The answer was simple: impatience and fear were running the show.
I wanted instant confirmation that I was “right.”I was terrified of being wrong and losing money.I thought I needed to catch every move to succeed.
But successful trading isn’t about catching every move. It’s about catching the right moves at the right time — and sometimes, that means doing absolutely nothing.
The Shift: From FOMO to Focus
After that frustrating week, I made a decision:
No more random chasing. No more second-guessing. I’d only take trades that matched my plan — and I’d wait as long as it took.
Sounds simple, right? But let me tell you, the first few days of sticking to this new mindset were brutal. I’d open my charts and see coins flying. My inner voice screamed, “You’re missing out again!” But I forced myself to stay put.
I reminded myself of a hard truth: FOMO is the fastest way to blow an account. If I jumped in late just to feel like I was “in the game,” I’d be gambling, not trading.
And then, something magical happened: after almost two weeks of sitting on my hands, I spotted the perfect setup on ETH. Everything lined up:
Strong support retestBullish divergence on the 4HVolume confirmation
I entered calmly, without fear, because I wasn’t chasing. Two days later, I closed for a 32% gain.
That win felt different — not because of the money, but because it came from discipline, not impulse.
The Big Lesson: Trading Is a Waiting Game
Here’s the truth most people don’t want to hear: trading is boring when done right. You’re not supposed to be in a trade all the time. You’re supposed to wait — and then strike with precision when the odds are in your favor.
Before, I thought missing trades meant I was failing. Now I know missing trades is normal — even smart — because the market will always give you another chance.
There’s a saying I love:
“Opportunities are like buses — there’s always another one coming.”
When I accepted that, everything changed. I stopped obsessing over every green candle and started trusting my process. That’s when my results improved.
Practical Tips for Building Patience (From Someone Who Had None)
If you’re struggling with the same thing I did, here are a few practical changes that helped me:
1. Set Alerts, Not Alarms
Instead of staring at the chart all day, set price alerts. If your entry conditions aren’t met, walk away. The market doesn’t reward screen time — it rewards precision.
2. Trade Higher Timeframes
The shorter the timeframe, the more noise you’ll see. When I shifted to 4H and daily charts, I stopped feeling the need to “do something” every five minutes.
3. Journal Every Missed Trade
This was huge for me. For every trade I skipped (or entered late), I wrote down why. After a week, I saw the pattern: hesitation and FOMO were killing me. Awareness was the first step to fixing it.
4. Accept That Missing Trades Is Part of the Game
You won’t catch them all. And that’s okay. Your goal isn’t to win every opportunity; it’s to grow your account over time.
Why Patience Is a Trader’s Superpower
After missing those five trades, I realized something powerful: patience is a competitive edge. Most traders lose because they can’t sit still. They overtrade. They revenge trade. They blow up their accounts because they want action, not discipline.
But if you can wait — really wait — you’ll separate yourself from 90% of traders out there.
The Mindset Shift That Made All the Difference
The biggest change for me was this:
I stopped measuring success by “how many trades I took” and started measuring success by “how well I followed my plan.”
That one mindset shift saved me from countless mistakes. Today, I might take only one or two trades a week. And that’s fine, because I know the quality of those trades is high.
Final Thoughts
If you’re beating yourself up over missed opportunities, take a breath. The market isn’t going anywhere. There will always be another setup. Missing trades taught me the value of patience, and patience turned me into a consistently profitable trader.
So the next time you feel FOMO creeping in, ask yourself:
Do you want to be in a trade… or do you want to be in the right trade?
Trust me, that answer changes everything.
What I Learned About Patience After Missing 5 Good Trades was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.